Instructional voting machine



-Feb. 3, 1953 C ,R F|NEGAN INSTRUCTIONAL VOTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1951 2 SPEETS-SI-IEET 1 QUESTIONS OFFICES CANDIDATES FFICES CANDIDATES n x n l I a l I l I I I l I I n l I l l I l I I N V EN TOR.

Feb. 3, 1953 C, R, FlNEGAN 2,627,125

INSTRUCTIONAL VOTING MACHINE Filed Sept. 4, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN VEN TOR.

Patented Feb. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates in general to a device for instructing voters in the use of a Voting machine.

In the past iew years many political subdivisions of the country have been installing voting machines in place ci the old paper ballots. Since these voting machines are expensive and will register the vote of many voters there are relatively few oi the machines as compared to the stood that to teach the public how to use the machine, the machine must be taken to the public since the voters will not go to the voting place to learn to operate the machine before election day.

Therefore, one of the objects ci my invention is to provide an inexpensive instructional device which may be easily constructed in large quantities and distributed to the public.

Another object of my invention is to provide a voting machine instructional device comprising a keyboard representing a voting machine and having indicators operable the same as those on the regular voting machine.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a means for instructing a high percentage of the voters in the use of the voting machine without causing the voters to go to the place ci voting.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and claim, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my instruction device as representing a voting machine;

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a back elevational view, the back cover having been removed, of a modification oi my instruction device;

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5 5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line 3 6 of Figure 4.

My voting machine instruction device comprises generally a keyboard I0 having a back side II and a face side I2. The keyboard I0 is supported by a housing I9 having a back cover 3|, which has been removed in Figure 4. The face side I2 is a representation of a voting machine used by the voter and thus includes party or cnice rows I3 and I4 respectively, of candidates names. The party row I3 is illustrated as having candidates names I5 and I6, While the party row I4 is illustrated as having candidates names I'I and I8. It is understood that any number of candidates names may be placed on my keyboard IIJ, and that I have placed three names for each party by way of example only. The keyboard I0 has arcuate slots 2 0 next adjacent each of the candidates names I5, I6, II, I8 and I9. I have provided voting indicators 2I, 22, 23, and 24 for each of the candidates names I5 to I8, respectively. These voting indicators 2I through 24 are pivotally mounted on the face side I2 of the keyboard IIJ with each voting indicator next adjacent its respective candidate name. The voting indicators are pivotally mounted in rows substantially parallel to the party rows. In my drawings I have illustrated the voting indicators as being riveted to the keyboard I0 such as indicated by number 29 in Figure 3, the voting indicators for the oices being secured in the same manner as those for the questions.

Extending from the back side of each o the voting indicators 2I, 22, 23 and 24 are stop portions 25, 26, 2l, and 23 respectively. Each stop portion extends through its respective arcuateslot and also outwardly from the other side of the: voting indicator to serve as a handle. The voting indicators and their respective handles or stop: portions are thus annularly movable toward the respective candidate name to a voted position and away from the respective candidate name to a non-voting position with the stop portions 25, 26, 21 and 28 reciprocally moving in the respective slots 20. I have further provided my keyboard ID with a curtain handle'32 and a control lever 33 fastened thereto for angular movement therewith. The curtain handle 32 is pivotally mounted on the face side I2 while the control lever 33 is mounted on the back side I I. A rivet 34 extending through the curtain handle 32, the keyboard I0 and the control lever 33, pivotally mounts the handle 32 and the control lever 33 on the keyboard I0. An arcuate slot 35 is also provided next adjacent the curtain handle 32. A member 36 extending through the arcuate slot 35 connects the curtain handle 32 and the control lever 33 for angular movement of the control lever 33 with movement of the curtain handle 32.

In the drawings the curtain handle is in the curtain open position. When the curtain handle is moved to the curtain closed position the voter can move the desired voting indicators to voted position. Movement of the curtain handle from curtain closed position to curtain open position, will cause all of the voting indicators to be moved and returned to their original position prior to voting. This control of the voting indicators by the curtain handle is accomplished through a single panel member 3'! of sheet-like material having a plurality of arcuate slots 33 each of which is generally aligned with its respective of the arcuate slots 20 in the keyboard it. As best illustrated in Figure 3, each stop portion of the voting indicators extends through its respective slot in the keyboard i and in the panel member 37.

The panel member 3i is supported for reciprocal movement on the back side H of the keyboard I by L-shaped supports 3% which also serve as guides. In this particular instance the control lever 33 moves the panel member 37 in one direction and gravity moves it the opposite direction to put it in position for voting. The arcuate slots 33 are of correct length so that the ends lill will push the stop portions of the voting indicators to the original or non-'voted position. Movement of the curtain handle to the position illustrated in Figure l causes control lever 33 to move the panel member 3l and return all of the voting indicators to non-voted position by means of slot ends te and stop portions includingT stop portions 25 to 23. .iovement of curtain handle 32 to curtain closed position allows panel member 3i to fall downwardly in Figure 1 and-align slots 38 with slots 2e so that the desired voting indicators may be moved to voted positions.

An instructor uses the device to instruct voters in much the same manner as taught by my copending application for Instructional Voting Machine, Ser. No. 42,858, iiled zfittg'ust 6,1948.

Eni Figure e l have illustrated a modiiication consisting of the preferred structure illustrated in Figures l to 3 and the addition of party levers it and for the respective party or oice rows Sand le. The party rows i3 and le are provided with reciprocally movable members ll and d? respectively'. These members'lt and t? have arcuate slots aligned with the arcuate slots in the keyboard Il Movement of lever d causes downward movement of memltier t@ in Figure 4 by means of flexible cord i9 while the curtain handle is in curtain closed position. The ends 56 of the slots 5i in the member it abut stop portions 25 and 26 to move the votingindicators 21 and 22 along with all the other voting indicators in that row to the voted position. Guides e2 mounted onl back side il cooperate with guide slots 53 in the members it and l? to keep their movement parallel to the movement of panel member 3l.

The operation of the modified design illustrated in Figures 4, 5, and 6 is substantially the 4 same as that of my herein referred to prior application in so far as the voter is concerned.

Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity in its preferred form, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be restored to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

An instruction device for instructing a voter in the correct manipulation of a Voting machine comprising, a keyboard having a back side and a face side with a representation of a Voting machine used by the voters and including ofce rows of candidate names for oices, voting indicators, one for each name, pivotally mounted in rows on the face side of said keyboard with each indicator movable in a rst direction angularly towards its respective name to a voted position and movable in a second direction angularly away from its respective name to a non-Voted position,

f a single panel board reciprocally movable on the back side of said keyboard and in a line of movement other than parallel to said rows of voting indicators to a closed curtain position andy-to an open curtain position, said keyboard and said panel board having rows of somewhat arc shaped slots, one in Yeach board for each indicator, and co-aligned when said panel board is in said closed cutain position, each voting indicator having a stop portion extending through the respective slot in the keyboard and into the respective slot in the panel board, and a curtain handle pivotally mounted on the face side of said keyboard for movement angularly in one direction to an open curtain position and for movement angularly in the opposite direction to a closed curtain position, a control lever on the back side of said keyboard and secured to said curtain handle for angular movement therewith and abuttable against said panel board to eiect movement of the panel board to its open curtain position upon movement of the control lever to its open curtain position and to enect movement of the panel board to its closed curtain position upon movement of the controlV lever to its closed curtain position, said panel board having portions defining ends ofthe respective slots and abuttable againstA said stop portions to move the voting indicators to their non-voted position upon movementrof the curtain handle and the panel board to the open curtain position.

CARL R. FINEGAN.V

REFERENCES CTED kThe following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 828,384 Christensen Aug. 14, 1906 838,242 Cutter et al Dec. 11, 1906 960,034 McTammany May 31, 1910 2,577,678 Finegan Dec. 4, 1951 

